Perry broadens musical spectrum with PRISM

Katy Perry’s newest album, PRISM, was released late last month. Before the release of this album, I wouldn’t have considered myself a Katy Perry fan. I was familiar with all of her radio hits, but I was never interested in actually listening to what other songs could be on her albums. I guess I saw her as a one–dimensional artist who created upbeat, and sometimes eccentric, pop music. Well, Perry certainly surprised me with her album PRISM. Her songs quickly captivated me, and I have enjoyed listening to them on repeat for the past several weeks.

Perry clearly understands the perfect balance between music, lyrics and singing. I really enjoyed the different style and sounds of the music that Perry chose to incorporate throughout PRISM. I also find Perry’s voice to be flawless. She can really sing anything that she wants to, and it’s clear that she has earned her place in the music industry with this album.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the lyrics are absolutely beautiful and sometimes poetic for a majority of the songs. Of course there are a few filler songs like “Birthday” and “This is How We Do.” However, Perry has 16 songs on PRISM, so the fact that only two are what I would classify as fillers, is actually quite an accomplishment. Each song on this album appears to be a personal story or feeling that Perry is sharing with her fans. I found most of the songs to be relatable and inspirational.

Some songs on the album are just fun and catchy to listen to. They have some lyrics that are clever and the aesthetics of music and singing really help these songs to shine. I would classify “Dark Horse,” “Legendary Lovers,” “Roar,” “Walking on Air” and “International Smile” in this category. “Dark Horse” is one of my favorites on the album, with its unique sound and distinctive rhythm. “Legendary Lovers” definitely has a feel to it that is all its own, which makes the sometimes suggestive lyrics work in a poetic way.

Most of the other songs on PRISM are inspirational and will be highly relatable to her fans. “Ghost” (another one of my favorites) is about expecting someone to always be there, but then finding he chooses to disappear without any warning. “Love Me” is about learning to love yourself the way that you want to be loved and realizing that to build a relationship you shouldn’t second guess your feelings. “By the Grace of God” is probably the most inspirational song on the album. It’s about picking up the pieces from a bad relationship and realizing that, with the grace of God, it is possible to move on and survive.

Perry has the exceptional ability to write beautiful songs that are fun to listen to. Over the years, she has definitely matured as an artist and has only gotten better in her career. I was thoroughly impressed with this album and I recommend that you give it a listen. I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised to hear the stunning music on PRISM.